Eclipse of the protector
by moonswirl
Summary: *part three of my Destiny Series* three months later...
1. three months

Eclipse of the protector  
By MoonSwirl  
  
  
Part three of my Destiny series  
  
Part 1  
  
"So you'll come pick me up after my shift's over, right?" Liz asked Kyle as they walked out of class together.  
  
"Right." She still couldn't believe it had now been three months since Kyle and her had started going out together. It still seemed like yesterday to her.  
  
The summer had been great. It really surprised both of them just how well they got along. It was practically perfect. Sure, they had little fights sometimes, but it never lasted long.  
  
"Is your dad gonna be there?" asked Kyle innocently. Liz laughed shortly. Kyle never liked running into Mr. Parker when he picked up or dropped off Liz, because he kept on lecturing him every time.  
  
"Don't worry. I plan to tell him a shipment got stalled somewhere. He'll run off immediately. The coast will be clear," she said, whispering the last sentence.  
  
"Very funny," said Kyle, the relief evident in his voice.  
  
"Although my mom might be there..." she added, hiding her grin as Kyle nearly stumbled to the ground. "I'm kidding," she reassured with a laugh.  
  
"Stop," he said with a small smile as she took his hand into her own. "Excited about tonight?" he asked.  
  
"Of course! I'd be even more excited if I knew what we're doing," she said, "But that's okay... your surprises are always nice." They stopped briefly as he gave her a short kiss. She smiled as he pulled away and they resumed their walk to their next class.  
  
"Did you understand ANYTHING that substitute was mumbling about in class?" he asked her, referring to their previous class. She smiled.  
  
"I'll explain it all to you later, alright?"  
  
"Deal." They saw Alex and Maria walking their way and walked to intercept them.  
  
"Hey, how are you two?" asked Liz as they walked past them.  
  
"Good, you?" said Maria.  
  
"Good. Later!" said Liz.  
  
"Is your mom insisting I come up to the door and everything tonight?" Alex asked Maria.  
  
"Yes. I tried to talk her out of it, but..."  
  
"Oh well... shouldn't be so bad..." Maria shook her head with a grin. It sort of made her laugh to know that Alex (and Kyle, as Liz had informed her) was still afraid to face her mom when he came over. But she found it a bit sweet, so she didn't say anything.  
  
"You're coming to see me perform next weekend, right?" she asked.  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, taking a 'refined' tone and putting his arms around her shoulders and drawing her closer to himself. She smiled.  
  
"Excellent," she said, "Maybe I'll have a special something for you in my performance..."  
  
"A dedication? Now I HAVE to come," he said smiling.  
  
"Well good."  
  
"I wish I didn't have to go to classes today," said Alex, "I feel like celebrating, not studying."  
  
"Yeah, I know, me too..." said Maria.  
  
"We'll just have to make tonight extra special, throw caution to the wind and have more fun than we've had in a long time!"  
  
"Slow down there," said Maria with a laugh, "We still have classes in the morning, remember?"  
  
"Right," he said with a sigh. Maria snickered.  
  
"Relax already! It's fine. We'll have fun. It'll be just you and me, how could it NOT be great?"  
  
"Right!" he said, his tone much happier. Maria couldn't understand exactly why Alex was so... insecure... about their relationship. He always tried to keep her happy. When would he see she was already happy when he was with her?  
  
"Hey, guys," said Alex, waving to Max and Tess as they walked by them.  
  
"Hey! Biology?" asked Tess.  
  
"Yep. Later!" said Maria.  
  
"What did Nasedo say exactly?" Max asked Tess. Nasedo had surprisingly changed ever since Max and Tess and Michael and Isabel had started dating. He was a lot more pleasant and Tess wasn't feeling trapped anymore. Of course, that didn't mean he always left them alone.  
  
"I don't know. He just said he wanted to take us someplace. He wouldn't say where."  
  
"When?" Max asked.  
  
"Tomorrow afternoon."  
  
"Okay," said Max with a nod.  
  
"I can't believe how great he's being to me, to all of us..." said Tess smiling.  
  
"I guess that now that we're together, he can, well for a lack of a better term right now... 'let his hair down'..." said Max, feeling ridiculous all of a sudden. Tess didn't try to hold back her laughter, not even a little. She threw her head back and laughed for about ten seconds, until finally she regained some control.  
  
"We could just 'manipulate' his hair to grow and then..." said Max, making Tess laugh harder.  
  
"Stop... it... too... much," she managed to say. Eventually, she calmed down, leaving her cheeks bright red.  
  
"That's a good look for you, keep it," said Max with a smile. Tess smiled as well. She'd never known him to be funny this way, but she sure wasn't complaining.  
  
"You know what, Max?" she said, putting her arms around his neck as he circled her waist with his own, "You're very different from what I thought at first."  
  
"Is that good?" he asked, getting closer.  
  
"It's fabulous," she said, closing the gap between them as they kissed.  
  
When they separated, grabbing one of the other's hands, Max said, "Come on, we'll be late for class."  
  
"Right," she said as they walked again.  
  
"Are you getting redder, or is it just me?" asked Max with a grin.  
  
"Shut up," she said, looking away.  
  
"You're the queen," he said, "I shall then shut up."  
  
"Hey you two," they heard. It was Isabel, walking with Michael.  
  
"Hey! Have fun tonight," said Tess.  
  
"You too," said Isabel.  
  
"So as I was saying..." said Michael.  
  
"Yes?" she said.  
  
"I was running to the kitchen, and I knocked over a tub of ketchup," he said.  
  
"No way," said Isabel, laughing lightly.  
  
"The floor was covered... all red... It was a total mess."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Of course, someone HAD to walk in and slip..."  
  
"Who?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"Mr. Parker," he answered slowly.  
  
"No!" she said, laughing harder.  
  
"Right across the kitchen," he said, showing the motion with his hand.  
  
"How... awful," she said, attempting to be sympathetic and failing miserably.  
  
"At least he didn't fire me," said Michael.  
  
"Yes, very good," she said with a large smile. He gave a smaller smile, but that was fine to her. She held on to his arm as they walked. "I still can't believe it's been three months... time just flew by," she said softly.  
  
"Like Mr. Parker in ketchup," Michael said, mimicking her tone. She nearly tripped, laughing once more and falling on a bench beside her. "You okay?" Michael asked.  
  
"Ow..." she said still laughing, "That's gonna hurt for a while... but it's okay."  
  
"Good," he said as he sat by her, "We have to... get to class."  
  
"I know, just gimme a minute," she said.  
  
"Oh, take your time, really..."  
  
"Don't even try to skip your classes." Michael looked up at her.  
  
"Yes, mom," he said mockingly.  
  
"You know what I mean," she said smiling.  
  
"I'm not sure, you might have to explain it to me." She looked at him for a few seconds, then got up.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Get up and get moving. Or else I'm never talking to you again," she said with a wink.  
  
"That's not fair," he said as he got up.  
  
"Are you complaining?"  
  
"Absolutely not... Let's go," he said, taking her hand. She smiled and they headed off to their second class of the day together.  



	2. goodbye

Part 2  
  
"Why won't you tell us where we're going?" Tess asked Nasedo as she and Max followed him down the deserted street. They'd been walking around for a slightly long time now and they were getting tired. It was a bit creepy for them as well, since there was no one around, no one walking and barely any cars. Nasedo was trying to hide it, but it was easy for them to see he was getting tired as well.  
  
"Because. Now stop asking me, all right?" Tess sighed. Nasedo looked at her and said, "I promise you'll like it." That made her smile. How could he be the same man she grew up with? It was just incredible.  
  
"Then why didn't Michael and Isabel come with us?" asked Max.  
  
"They'll get their turn too, don't worry," said Nasedo.  
  
"I'm not worried, I was just wondering."  
  
"I'm going to go get something to drink from that machine across the street," said Nasedo, pointing to it, "You two want something too?" Tess smiled.  
  
"How about instead, you sit and I'll go?" she asked.  
  
"I can get it myself, you know?" Nasedo said slowly. Tess gave him a look. "Alright, fine," he gave in. They told her what they wanted and she turned and went. Max and Nasedo stood on the sidewalk talking, when Nasedo looked after Tess.  
  
That's when he saw it. A car was heading right for her, swerving a bit, and she hadn't noticed it.  
  
"Tess! Look Out!" Nasedo called, running into the street after her before he knew it. Max stood back and watched in horror. He couldn't run in there as well now, there would be no point. Tess finally looked up and saw the car coming. She couldn't move, too panicked.  
  
Suddenly, she felt herself be pushed and she landed on the ground, out of the car's way. She turned her head just in time to see the car hit Nasedo at full strength.  
  
"No!" she screamed as he fell into the street. The car backed up and quickly turned the other way. Max watched it as it drove away and ran after it with anger.  
  
"Get back here!" he yelled. Tess turned herself, feeling sore all over the side she'd fallen on. She half-crawled, half-walked to Nasedo, her breath shaking.  
  
"N...Nasedo?" she called slowly. She knelt behind him and turned him around. His face was bruised and bloody. "It's all right," Tess said shakily, feeling tears come down her face, "We'll fix it like last time..."  
  
"No... you can't," he said weakly.  
  
"W...what? Of course we can," she said, her tone more urgent.  
  
"No, not this time," he said, taking her hand.  
  
"You can't... you can't leave me, not now... now that we're finally starting to get along..."  
  
"I'm so sorry... I wish we'd have more time together too, but..." He was starting to cry as well, which only made her tears come faster. "There's something... Very important... I need to tell you, before... Now, listen carefully all right?" She nodded shortly. "The pod chamber, there are some... things... I put in it last summer before going to Washington..." She was confused, but she listened. "You won't find them for a very long time, but they're there, alright?"  
  
"Y... Yes."  
  
"One other thing... in the pod chamber, behind the pods... it's called the Granolith..."  
  
"Granolith..." she repeated.  
  
"Now listen very carefully, this is... most important... Don't tell ANYONE about it, not yet, when the time comes, you'll... you'll know..."  
  
"Nasedo..." she whispered, still crying then.  
  
"I'm counting on you, Tess... do it for me, for your home... do it for Ava..."  
  
"Who's Ava?" she asked, but then she felt him get heavier, his eyes closing... and then his head rolled to the side... he was gone. "No... no, don't go, please..." Tess pleaded, feeling more panic than ever.  
  
"Tess?" she heard from behind. It was Max. He looked tired and out of breath. She tried to speak as she turned, but found she wasn't able to. Max looked down at Nasedo. "Is he..."  
  
"He's gone for real this time, we can't bring him back," she said finally through her sobs. Max came forward and hugged her. She wrapped her free arm around him and cried into his shoulder. She wasn't ready to let go of Nasedo's hand just yet. "What do we do now... with him and..." She stopped.  
  
"Can you try... contacting Isabel? Tell her to bring the car and come get us?" He knew it was a lot to ask from her at the moment, but they had no choice. She pulled away and rubbed her face.  
  
"Yeah, just... give me a minute, okay?" He cupped the right side of her face into his hand and gave her a small sorry smile. She lowered her head to his shoulder and took a few long breaths. They remained this way for a few minutes, then she nodded. The two got up and Max carried Nasedo out of the street, Tess still holding his hand. When they were sitting, she closed her eyes and concentrated on Isabel...  
  
*  
  
At the Crashdown  
  
Michael and Isabel sat in a corner of the dining room, having lunch. Suddenly, someone was standing in front of their table. Isabel looked up. It was Tess and she was a bit bruised on her side. It looked like she'd been crying.  
  
"Tess, what's wrong?" she asked concerned. Michael looked up but saw no one.  
  
"I'm not here. You're the only one who can see me," she said shakily. Isabel understood and looked at her plate so that she wouldn't look to be talking to herself.  
  
"What's going on?" she whispered.  
  
"Something happened and I can't stay long. Nasedo's dead. You have to take the car and come pick us up, please hurry."  
  
"Where?" Isabel asked, her tone more concerned now.  
  
"Is what's going on? Who are you talking to?" asked Michael. Tess told Isabel where they were, before disappearing. "Isabel," Michael said again. Isabel dropped some cash on the table and got up.  
  
"Come on," she said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nasedo's dead." Michael's face fell and he got up and followed her out immediately.  
  
*  
  
Back to the empty street  
  
They'd been waiting shortly when the car screeched to a halt and Michael and Isabel joined them. "What happened to him?" asked Michael.  
  
"Just... came out of nowhere... he saved me and..." Tess mumbled. She was a bit better now, but she was still recovering.  
  
"What?" said Isabel.  
  
"Car," explained Max. Tess still held his hand.  
  
"Did he tell you anything before he..." started Isabel. Tess looked up, then down.  
  
"N... no," she lied.  
  
"Nothing?" asked Michael.  
  
"Nothing," repeated Tess more firmly. There was a short silence.  
  
"So what do we do with him?" asked Michael.  
  
"We can bury him... near the pod chamber. Only place I can think of," said Max slowly, knowing Tess must have been feeling pretty bad at the moment.  
  
"Are you okay?" Isabel asked Tess with concern.  
  
"I'll be fine," she said with a nod, "Let's go." They headed off to the car and Tess didn't let go of his hand, not until they dropped him gently into the hole they dug outside the pod chamber, and even then, it was very hard for her to do.  
  
As she climbed back into the back of the car with Max, she looked up at the pod chamber again. Nasedo's words still rung in her ears. This secret... how long would she have to keep it from the others? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? As long as she had to...  



	3. adjusting

Part 3  
  
Kyle, Liz, Alex and Maria were waiting for them at the Crashdown. Michael had called Maria to explain the situation. He'd asked her to gather the others and wait for them at the café. The four aliens walked in together, faces sad. Michael and Isabel held hands and Max kept Tess close to him.  
  
"You guys okay?" Liz asked as they walked to the back of the restaurant.  
  
"We've been better," said Max.  
  
"I know that... this is still early but what'll happen with Tess?" asked Liz.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Isabel.  
  
"Well everyone thinks he's her father, right? So what happens with her now?" They looked at each other.  
  
"Hadn't thought of that," said Tess slowly.  
  
"If they start snooping around, it won't be too good," said Isabel.  
  
"You could do what I did," Michael told Tess.  
  
"Get emancipated?" she asked. She thought. "Guess so."  
  
"You can talk to my father about it. He helped Michael already, said Max.  
  
"Yeah... all right," said Tess slowly. It was all happening so fast... A few hours ago, she'd been happily having breakfast with Nasedo. Now she was planning her life without him... " I'll need money, too," she mumbled.  
  
"I can ask my dad if we have an opening," said Liz.  
  
"A waitress at the Crashdown... I guess I could deal with that," she said, "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome", said Liz with a smile.  
  
"Where is she gonna live?" asked Kyle.  
  
"You can take the second room at my place," said Michael, "As long as you pay half the rent."  
  
"Thank you" said Tess with a nod.  
  
"It'll be okay, Tess, you'll see," said Max, trying to comfort her.  
  
"Yeah, I know... it's just gonna take some getting used to," said Tess, "I don't know what I'll do tonight. I don't want to stay alone..."  
  
"You could stay with me," said Liz, "We can take the opportunity to ask my dad."  
  
"All right," said Tess with a small smile.  
  
"Can I come too?" asked Maria, "We can make it a girl's night."  
  
"Sounds like fun," said Liz, then to Isabel, "What about you?"  
  
"Count me in," she said, hoping it would help cheer Tess up.  
  
*  
  
Two days later, with her spirits much higher, it was Tess' first day to work. She still felt strange, wearing the 'headgear' that was part of their uniform, but other than that she had no problems. The 'girls night' had achieved its goal and much more. Talking about Nasedo was still hard for her, but that was pretty much to be expected.  
  
That morning, she and Liz came down from the Parkers' home together, ready for their shifts. Tess still lived with them, as she would until this was all taken care of, Liz had assured her that her parents were more than okay with it.  
  
Surprisingly enough, Tess settled into the job with effortless ease. She was enjoying herself and the customers were all happy. All in all, she was getting along great by herself.  
  
Near lunchtime, Max, Isabel and the rest of their group came into the café. Tess went to welcome them with a warm smile to all and a kiss to Max.  
  
"How's it going?" he asked her.  
  
"It's great! I love it... even I'M surprised," she said with a laugh. She led them to a booth near the back.  
  
"Oh, guess what," said Max as he sat.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"My dad says everything's in place and you should be meeting with the judge in two days." She seemed shocked and nervous. Max knew why. "Relax, okay? I'm sure it'll go without a problem."  
  
"Yeah, I hope so," she said slowly, playing with her apron.  
  
"So," said Isabel, trying to give Tess her smile back, "How about we order?" That got her back to attention.  
  
"Right, okay." They gave her their orders and she walked off. They saw Liz walking around and signaled her over.  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"Hey," said Max, "So, how's she doing?"  
  
"She's great, and the customers already like her."  
  
"I mean... emotionally," Max clarified.  
  
"Oh" said Liz, looking down a bit, "She's... she's okay. She's having trouble sleeping, and when she does, she has nightmares a lot... but other than that, I think she'll be fine." That seemed to reassure Max, so Liz walked away.  
  
He hated seeing Tess like this and it made him feel slightly powerless. He just didn't know what to say, what to tell her to make her feel better. He did what he could, but it never seemed to be enough in his mind.  
  
He smiled when she returned with their plates, looking very happy with herself. "Enjoy!" she said, going back to work...  
  
*  
  
Two days later  
  
They were all waiting for Mr. Evans and Tess to return from their meeting with the judge. They kept reassuring themselves that it would all go well, but deep down, there were still doubts and fear.  
  
Finally, they heard the car. A minute later, they entered the living room to meet their eager faces. She didn't keep them waiting.  
  
"It's official," she said with a smile. They all got up, the relief evident, and went to congratulate her.  
  
"Thanks, dad," Max said, as he went to him.  
  
"You're welcome, both of you," he answered, indicating both Max and Tess.  
  
"So," she said, walking up to Michael, "When am I moving in?"  
  
"Next weekend?" he suggested.  
  
"Deal". Both smiled. Isabel came up to take her turn congratulating Tess.  
  
"Gonna be living with my boyfriend, uh?" she said with a grin. "Do I have to warn you?" Tess grinned as well.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't touch him... Besides, I already have a guy," she said, as Max brought her closer to himself from behind with a smile.  
  
*  
  
The next weekend  
  
Max and Isabel had picked up Tess and her belongings at her old house and taken her to Michael's home, now her home as well.  
  
"Welcome", he said, opening the door and stepping aside to let them in, "Now, the rules." Tess and Isabel looked to each other with a smile.  
  
"Yes, I'm listening," said Tess.  
  
"You keep your stuff on your side of the bathroom sink, and I keep my stuff on mine. Please don't leave your..." he continued, then stopping, as if to think of the proper way to ask what he was about to. Tess was quicker.  
  
"Underwear?" she suggested with a laugh she unsuccessfully held back.  
  
"Yeah," said Michael, "Don't leave it hanging around."  
  
"Noted," she said with a nod, clearly enjoying this.  
  
"Your room is there," he said, pointing to it, "It's all yours."  
  
"Well, thank you."  
  
"No problem." The four of them carried all of the bags and boxes into the room and Isabel helped her unpack while the guys sat in the living room.  
  
As the days had gone by after that first day of work, Tess had continued getting better. Liz informed them that she'd started sleeping normally again, which was definitely a good sign that she'd recovered and was finally back to her old self again.  
  
About an hour and a half after they'd arrived, Tess was all settled in and Max and Isabel headed back to their own home. They would have stayed longer, but they were having relatives over for dinner and their mother needed some help.  
  
So it gave Michael and Tess plenty of time to talk and around mid-afternoon, they went to the grocery store to get food that Michael didn't have, but Tess wanted...  



	4. adjusted

Part 4  
  
"I'm sorry, okay! I was gonna be late for work, what other choice did I have? I didn't exactly have time to go to the store and get myself one. I'll buy you a new one, I promise," said Tess, following Michael through the school grounds, where the others waited for them for lunch.  
  
"Yeah, you better." He wasn't really angry at her, but he'd had a long shift the night before and he was slightly irritable.  
  
"What's going on?" Isabel asked as they sat down.  
  
"Nothing, really," said Michael after kissing her hello, "We just had our first fight" he said with a small smile.  
  
"Well good," said Isabel, at which point the others turned to her in confusion. "I'd be worried if they weren't fighting, that's all." They laughed shortly and started unpacking their lunches.  
  
"You know," Maria started, looking to Isabel, "I'm thinking you could come and work with us at the Crashdown..."  
  
"Why?" said Isabel.  
  
"Well, you know, Liz, Tess and I are there already and... well then all four of us girls could be working together and everything." Isabel smiled.  
  
"Maria, you're one of my dearest friends, but I don't think waitressing is right for me."  
  
"Oh, come on, please!" Maria pleaded, "They pay you to do it!"  
  
"I did it once, and already that was too much."  
  
"Wait, how come no one ever told me about that?" asked Tess, getting excited.  
  
"Because I made them swear not to," she said, then to the others, "And that still stands."  
  
"Oh, don't worry, Is," said Liz.  
  
"Our lips are sealed," said Maria as the two girls made a dramatic gesture of zipping their lips shut.  
  
"Don't I get special privilege or something?" said Tess with a fake sad face.  
  
"I think a late night game of 'truth or dare' should clear up the whole deal for you," said Maria with a wink.  
  
"Oh great," said Isabel before biting into her sandwich.  
  
Liz turned her head to talk to Kyle and found him in a deep discussion about a basketball game their school had won against another school the previous week. Alex wasn't really participating, but more than a couple times could be heard jumping in with a comment on one of the players that wasn't related in any way to the game.  
  
Typical of them in the last couple months. She remembered how at first, the four new couples had been a bit uneasy around each other, especially the ones whose exes were now dating and vice versa... But as time went by, they managed to put aside their differences and found themselves to become quick friends.  
  
And now, more than three months later, they were almost inseparable. They were practically always in the same general area, in packs of two, three and more. There were still a few awkward moments here and there, but the number had dramatically decreased by now.  
  
"Alright, we're heading out to class," Isabel said sometime after, as she and the other girls got up and kissed their boyfriends before leaving the guys at the table.  
  
"So... Michael... what's this I hear about spilled ketchup and Mr. Parker," said Alex, finishing his question with the sliding gesture.  
  
"Who told you?" asked Michael, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Maria, of course... I couldn't bring it up before with what happened with Nasedo and everything... Now I think it's about time you told us. So spill it."  
  
"No way Whitman," said Michael.  
  
"Oh come on!"  
  
"It's a miracle I still have my job, if this gets around, I could lose it, don't make me make you shut up," Michael said, only half seriously.  
  
"Geez... relax, okay, I was joking!" said Alex, holding up his hands in a sign of 'surrender'.  
  
*  
  
In the halls  
  
"I remember, when I first... woke up. There was no one else around. You'd already left... and then he arrived. I can't, even to this day, explain the expression on his face when he realized he'd arrived too late... and then he saw me. It didn't really make him feel better but, I think it made him feel like he hadn't COMPLETELY failed his duty as our protector," said Tess as the girls walked slowly.  
  
"What were you thinking about?" asked Liz.  
  
"Nothing much, really. I was still too confused to know just what was happening. I didn't start understanding anything until the next day. I woke up in a bed in a hotel room. He was sitting on a chair near me and the he started talking, telling me so many things. Somehow I think it wasn't so much to explain something to me, but to reassure himself..."  
  
"I don't know if I would have had a choice between... being found by my parents and not knowing anything about myself, or being found by Nasedo and being told all of it... I'm not sure of what I would choose."  
  
"I wonder... if we HAD been found together..." started Tess.  
  
"We might have never come to Roswell... We wouldn't have the two of you, and Alex, and Kyle... seems impossible... but it could have happened," continued Isabel.  
  
"Our lives could have been completely different, but... would they have been good or bad? I guess we'll never know..." said Tess, "I mean, it wasn't all bad, growing up with him... practicing my powers was fun... at first. After more than an hour, it sort of got boring..."  
  
"What about Michael? I mean, he's had a pretty rough life... would it have been better with Nasedo?" said Isabel. She'd always felt bad about what happened to him... getting beat up by his 'dad'... even more now that they were a couple. She'd been so happy when he finally left Hank and got to go live on his own, in the home he now shared with Tess.  
  
"Speaking of Michael, how's it going with your roomy?" Maria asked Tess with a smile that just screamed 'We want juicy details, and we want them now!'  
  
"Well, there's not much to tell, really" said Tess.  
  
"Oh, come on," pleaded Maria as Liz and Isabel began to plead as well.  
  
"Look, I'm serious! I'm already in enough trouble with what happened this morning, I don't want to have to start looking for a new place to stay!" explained Tess.  
  
"Michael won't kick you out. And if he tries, well he'll pay for it in a way he doesn't want to, if you know what I mean," said Isabel with a grin.  
  
"So how about you start by telling us about this whole 'incident' from this morning," said Liz with a smile. Tess hesitated, then whispered in Isabel's ear, since she stood next to her. When she heard, Isabel laughed a bit, then turned and whispered it to Liz. It had the same effect on her, and then Maria.  
  
Once every one of the four knew they all had a long laugh together.  
  
"I can't believe you did that!" said Liz.  
  
"But I didn't have a choice! I wanted to get him a new one after work so that hopefully he'd never have to know, but I was too tired and I think the store was closed. So this morning, I snuck out of the house and left before he saw what I'd done. Of course, when he got here, he didn't wait very long to complain." She didn't seem to be feeling sorry for herself at all, in fact, she laughed at it now.  
  
"Come on, we better hurry and get to class," said Liz as they continued down the hall in laughter. Throughout the rest of the day, even the rest of the week, they often found themselves and each other trying to hold back another round of giggles...  
  
End of part three of the Destiny Series  



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